Finally - I have put together the story of Studio Ceramics, Auckland's largest ceramics manufacturer apart from Crown Lynn.
The founders of Studio Ceramics Ltd were ceramic designer/artist Christine Harris, and property developer Malcolm Johnstone. Before long, Chris Harvey also joined. More about Chris Harvey here.
Christine Harris began making her bold and colorful ceramics in Auckland in the early 1980s. More about Christine's early days here. At first Christine sold her work at local markets, but by the late1980s she was ready to expand into mass production. She established a business partnership with Malcolm Johnstone and together they set up Studio Ceramics Ltd. In 1991 they bought Terra Ceramics in New Lynn from John and Sandra Homer. Christine and Malcolm retained many of the Terra staff, including for a brief period hand-thrower Daniel Steenstra.
At first products were marked ‘Terra Potteries’ but very soon a new Christine Harris backstamp was introduced. The new enterprise had a shaky start, with far too many seconds coming off the production line. After ex-Crown Lynn manager Chris Harvey joined the partnership, technical problems were overcome and Studio Ceramics began making hand-decorated dinnerware on an industrial scale.
Above: Striped Border teapot and mug and Black Geometric duo (The only piece I have in this pattern!) Valerie Monk collection. This bright, bold dinnerware was new and
exciting. Studio
Ceramics had an outlet shop in the affluent suburb of Parnell, and Chris Harvey remembered Friday
seconds sales where there was fierce competition for choice
pieces. Alongside the successful dinnerware, a few items were still
hand-made. In a corner of the factory, a
man called Brian turned out quirky egg-cups in a range of colours.
Above: Christine Harris egg cups. Height 6cm, W7. Valerie Monk collection
Harking back to Christine's hands-on days, the factory still made a few larger pieces such as towering candlesticks and arty Memphis-style vases.
The zig-zag vases were technically difficult and too imposing to suit most homes. Mass-produced simpler vases included the shouldered ‘Lima’ shape, cylinders, spherical shapes and a big vase with a longer neck. The largest were about 40 cm tall.
With teething problems under control, Studio Ceramics
prospered. By 1992 there were at least seven staff and turnover was approaching
$1 million. The business moved into a larger factory at 7
Waikaukau Road in Glen Eden, Auckland. A
year later Studio Ceramics was supplying 70 New Zealand outlets, with up to 30
staff making ten to twelve thousand pieces a month. There were eight hand-decorators, including
Christine’s daughter Carly. Malcolm
Johnstone was in charge of the business operation, Chris Harvey was the
technical and production expert and Christine Harris managed design, decoration and marketing.
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There was also a range of plain colours including dark green, yellow, turquoise, pink and a paler green. In addition Christine devised up to four new designs a year, often for specific customers like Levene’s home decorating stores. Pink and blue floral was designed for the Botannix cafés at Palmers garden centres, and Island Bay was used – and sold – at the Wellington Library café.
For a couple of years Christine sometimes demonstrated her
decorating skills on ceramic toilet bowls and handbasins. These generated considerable publicity, but were never intended for full production. A few
were sold but most were given to friends.
She also created decorated glassware for the New Zealand
market.
Above: Glassware. Image from Christine Harris Ceramics brochure, p 6. Courtesy Christine Harris
At Studio Ceramics most of the shapes and moulds were
created by Bruce Yallop. Bruce began his modelling career at Crown Lynn, which closed in 1989. Some time after that, Bruce began work at Studio Ceramics. His Crown Lynn desk and modelling tools also ended up at his new job - and they are now in safekeeping at the Crown Lynn museum Te Toi Uku.
Christine took regular selling trips around both North and
South Islands. She was also looking to overseas markets. By 1994, up to 20% of production went to
Australia, and there were attempts – not particularly successful - to export to
Korea, Japan and the United States.
In 1995 Christine Harris left Studio Ceramics, but the rights to her designs remained with the company under a royalty agreement which also prevented her from involvement with ceramics for two years. Since then Christine has made collectables such as painted screens, bird baths and plant pots, and later hand-decorated ceramics. For a while she was in the fashion industry in partnership with daughter Carly. Today Christine is semi-retired, but still working in the arts, mainly in digital design and beautiful marbled designs on paper.
After Christine Harris left Studio Ceramics, Chris Harvey and Malcolm Johnstone continued as joint owners. The most prominent designers were Ann Skelly and Lily (Lillian) Jones. Lily Jones had previously owned her own pottery (Waipapa Potteries) in Kerikeri, and there are some crossovers in designs from that period. Susi Dennison and Denise Herbert of Sin and Tonic Design also contributed, mainly under the Scorchio brand. The factory was still turning out colourful, good quality plates, cups, mugs, vases, jugs, small bowls, sugar bowls and mugs by the thousands. Ann Skelly’s Pelorus and Fez, and Bloom by Lily Jones were particularly popular patterns.
Studio Ceramics made good money in its first years, but by
the mid-1990s it was facing stiff competition from cheap
imports flooding into the country.
Diversification into kiwiana-style ware helped. The ‘To the Sea’ range of shell-shaped
platters and dishes, fish dishes and small dinghies sold well. Most of this ware is marked with a simple
italicised ‘NZ’ in blue-grey.
Constantly seeking new ranges to boost sales, in the late 1990s Studio Ceramics began making a ‘Retro Lynn’ range, based on Crown Lynn shapes. (see below). There was also a popular ‘paint your own’ hobby ceramics section, and once-fired blanks were sold to a few other potteries for decoration. Studio Ceramics also established an on-site seconds shop. The worst seconds were given to schools for gala day fundraising – people paid money to smash them.
Chris Harvey and his partner Adrienne Lovell remained at Studio Ceramics until Chris had a sudden devastating illness in 2010. on 17 September 2011, the business changed hands and the new owners kept it going
for about four years.
Most of the shapes and patterns were retained by the new owners. In the last few years Studio Ceramics was promoting brightly coloured ‘Lolly Scramble’ vases, pastel coloured bowls, plates and planters, baby and child ware including a teddy bear bedside lamp, and souvenirs such as palm trees and leaves as wall hangings and stand-alone ornaments. The hand-painted Farmyard and Forest Souvenir Range depicted sheep, pukeko, cows, a nikau palm and kiwi.
Kiwiana included Maori symbols such as tiki, tekoteko (carved human figure) vase, a patu (war club), wall panels, a waka (canoe), kete (flax kits), a mask with moko, and assorted leaf, frond, feather, koru and fish-hook shapes. There were also dishes made in the shape of New Zealand’s north and south islands. The To the Sea range continued right to the end, with the addition of starfish and a stingray wall decoration. There was also a successful range of patterns by contracted artists, plus restaurant ware and ‘Rubenesque’ curvy dinnerware.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of its staff and new owners, Studio Ceramics went into liquidation in 2017 and all its assets, including moulds and unsold stock, were auctioned off. Ironically, there was a surge of last-minute orders.
Apart from Temuka, Studio Ceramics was the last large-scale manufacturer of domestic ware in New Zealand. Most ceramics are now made overseas.
In the late 1990s Studio Ceramics introduced a collection of close copies of Crown Lynn shapes, including vases, jugs, swans and shells. The classic Crown Lynn white swan was reincarnated in different pastel colours, and as a lamp base. There were also swan book-ends. In the last couple of years a little kiwi, a set of wall ducks and a Maori motif plate similar to the smaller version of the Crown Lynn Flora and Fauna platter were added to the range.
At first, most collectors looked down on the Retro Lynn range as a cheap imitation of Crown Lynn. Now, Retro Lynn has developed a following. The swans are especially sought after.
Most Retro Lynn is very easy to differentiate from genuine Crown Lynn because the glazes are different and the reproductions are generally smaller. The first Retro Lynn swans were from moulds taken directly off a Crown Lynn swan. They were deliberately made smaller than the original Crown Lynn version. Studio Ceramics made their Retro Lynn swans in three sizes and five colours - white, black, pale pink, bright pink and duck egg blue. There may have been more colours. (Note that the final catalogue (March 2016) shows four sizes of swan. However I have been unable to find anyone who remembers making the four sizes.) This final catalogue also shows a set of three 'wall ducks' - so presumably there are a few of them around.
Some vases were also made in pastel glazes and in black. One vase, the gurgling fish, was a copy of an English vase, not Crown Lynn. Hotel jugs were made in white and pastel colours, often with a large Crown Lynn backstamp symbol emblazoned on one side. Studio Ceramics swans have sometimes been mistaken for Crown Lynn, as have the famous McAlpine fridge jugs and the white vases. To add to the confusion, some early Retro Lynn ware was unmarked. Later, many items carried the standard hand-brushed Studio Ceramics “NZ” symbol in dark blue.
In 1998 Studio Ceramics sponsored a ceramic artists exhibition. The artists had free access to the factory and its materials. The results were exhibited at Lopdell House in Titirangi.
In the last ten years or so of Studio Ceramics, the following designers were involved in projects at the factory:
- Fashion designer Kate Sylvester commissioned swans with gold
beaks, and also white mugs decorated with a swan in gold. The gold-beaked swans
were also sold on the open market.
- Designer Amber Armitage created a collection of ‘Weather
Patterns’ beakers, vases and other shapes in pastel glazes. This range had no
handles. (C 2015-2016)
- Artist Evie Kemp designed beakers and plates in blue and
white trimmed with gold. (C 2015-2016)
- Artist Carole Prentice created the New Zealand Maori Willow
pattern. (C 2015-2016)
- Artist Lindsey Rund created the illustrations for the
Botanicals range of New Zealand native flora, including kaka beak and Mount
Cook lily. (C 2016)
- Ceramic artist/potter Peter Collis designed some of his signature rounded vases which were reproduced by slip-casting.
- August 1991 Christine Harris formed a business partnership with Malcolm Johnstone, He backed her financially to form Studio Ceramics which focused on dinnerware and small pieces. Shortly, Chris Harvey joined the company
- 1991 bought Terra Ceramics factory
- 1993 Move to new factory at Waikaukau Rd, Glen Eden
- 1995 Christine Harris left Studio Ceramics. Afterwards, her designs were still made under a royalty arrangement. New designers included Ann Skelly and Lily Jones
- 2011 Studio Ceramics business sold
- 2017 Studio Ceramics went into receivership and assets were auctioned off
Before Christine Harris established Studio Ceramics, she used variations on a CH mark, usually hand-inscribed. Often the signature included the year the piece was made.
Below: Terra Potteries - when Christine Harris and Malcolm Johnstone bought Terra Ceramics and began commercial production, they used this mark for a brief period
Below; the NZ in blue/grey was used a great deal for vases and other castware, probably during the time when Studio Ceramics was at full production. Chris Harvey told me he would have preferred a fuller manufacturers' mark but the decorators liked the NZ which was quick and easy to apply.
The Studio Ceramics oval stamp was used a great deal for dinnerware, jugs and vases during the post-Christine Harris era.
Studio Ceramics also used a variety of stickers including this transparent version which appears on a small ceramic bach
This sticker is on a hanging tiki figure
Ware made for the Levene homeware stores carried its own backstamp.
Ann Skelly. This design is called Falling Leaves.
Lily (Lillian) Jones who was recruited from her own pottery (Waipapa Potteries) in Kerikeri.
Susi Dennison and Denise Herbert of Sin and Tonic Design also contributed under the Scorchio brand
One-off artist/designers included Amber Armitage. This is a sticker.
